Wild Animals

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The rarely seen archive which shows rich 185-year history of Bristol Zoo


Rarely before seen footage of Bristol Zoo has been released ahead of its closure later this year - with people being asked to share their own memories.

Bristol Zoo Gardens has gone through its archives to celebrate its 185-year history at 'The Zoo and You, Memory Show and Tell' event which will be held on 28 and 29 May.

It comes ahead of the closure of the Clifton zoo in September. The animals will be moved off site to make way for a housing development before the reopening of a new zoo at the Wild Place Project in 2024.

Most of the archive collection - which features old relics, photographs, film footage, signs and records - have not been shown in public for decades.


Black and white footage shows animals including bears on poles, lions and giraffes.

The film also shows the famous Rosie the elephant - who used to give rides to children - while relics dating back to 1898 have also been uncovered.

Head of public engagement Simon Garrett added: “As we move towards the closure of the Clifton site, it’s important that we mark and celebrate the 185-year history of this famous attraction, and look to the future of the new Bristol Zoo.


“Within our archive rooms, we’ve uncovered and dusted off treasures and thanks to the help of the team at Bristol Culture, we’re excited to reveal some hidden gems that shine a light on the zoo’s history.

“We hope seeing these items will bring back fond memories for visitors, who have enjoyed many a day out at the zoo."


Whereas keepers at Bristol Zoo now operate a "hands off" approach, footage from the past shows staff getting incredibly close to animals alongside visitors.

Simon said: "I think it's very interesting, some of the big animals in the past, they had a lot more close interaction with the keepers.

"These days we're very much hands off, these are wild animals. In the past they were much more hands on. I think the animals were stimulated a lot by a lot of interaction with visitors and keepers as well."


One of the main reasons Bristol Zoo says it is moving sites is to provide more space for animals at its new home.

The zoo's programme coordinator Scott Raven said: "Over the years our big animals have left us here at Bristol Zoo - and I think that's for the best. It's a 12-acre site, it's too small to house elephants, lions and things like that."

Head of field conservation and science, Dr Grainne McCabe said practices of old would not be repeated today - with the zoo now focused on protecting some of the planet's most endangered species.

"We have a lot of species here and to be able to focus more on fewer species but do much more impactful things for those species is really what we want to do going forward," she said.

"I think most people would agree they think probably that is the better way forward as well even though we absolutely love Bristol Zoo Gardens."

from james cooper dobson and the good mornig news team

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Johnny Depp becomes patron of Folly Wildlife Rescue centre in Kent


Actor Johnny Depp has become the newest patron of Folly Wildlife Rescue in Kent.

The charity dedicates itself to rescuing injured, orphaned and distressed wild animals and birds and helps them to recover.

The Hollywood actor visited the centre earlier this month, shortly after winning his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.

He was pictured holding a badger cub at the centre, as he toured the UK with musician Jeff Beck.

The actor was brought to the centre by Beck's wife, who is a patron of the centre.

The charity says Depp's visit was an incredible afternoon for staff, as the Pirates of the Caribbean star toured the hospital's care and vets units.

It wrote on its Facebook page: "Johnny was incredibly complimentary and in his own words 'blown away' by what he saw.

"To top the visit off, we even allowed him the rare privilege of briefly holding Freddie (as in Mercury!) one of the many orphaned badger cubs we're currently hand rearing - and I think it's fair to say he was bowled over by the whole experience!"


Speaking on Friday Hannah Hall from Folly Wildlife Rescue Trust said, "We had a ten minute warning and then he turned up in his car and came over and shook my hand.

"It was very surreal.

"He was really genuine, he was in awe of the whole place. I think he couldn't believe that a wildlife rescue could look like this, so quite complimentary.

"It was just like talking to anyone else really - it didn't feel like I was talking to an A-list celebrity who I watched growing up. It was quite amazing.

"He thought he could hear monkeys, but it was actually the badger cubs so we explained to him how different the wildlife is here, and he just took an interest in everything."

Depp was spotted in a series of surprise public outings around the UK, including at a pub in Newcastle, after the high profile defamation trial came to an end.

Depp had sued Heard over a Washington Post article she wrote, entitled: “I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”

The article does not mention Depp by name. However his lawyers argued at trial that it falsely implies he physically and sexually abused the Aquaman actress while they were together.

Following a six-week trial, jurors found Depp should be awarded $15 million in damages; comprising $10 million (£8m) in punitive damages and $5m (£4m) in compensatory damages.



from james Cooper-Dobson and the good morning news team



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'Podgy' hedgehog found wedged in metal gate in South Yorkshire as RSPCA warn of risks


The RSPCA is warning people to take care around wild animals after a hedgehog was found wedged between a metal gate in Rotherham.

Animal rescuer, Jack Taylor, was called to Bramley on Sunday June 26 after concerns were raised by a member of the public.

The 'podgy' hedgehog tried to push through the metal bars of a metal garden gate when it got stuck.

He said: "Thankfully I was able to arrive quickly and carefully squeeze him backwards out of the railings. I checked him over and he’d not suffered any injuries"

"So I popped him in some bushes at the bottom of the garden so that he could toddle back to his hoggy home!"

The little hedgehog has since been aptly named ‘Wedgehog’.

The RSCPA is now calling on the public to be cautious, keep a safe distance, and monitor wild animals if they come across them.

The RSPCA said: "Wild animals can bite or scratch when frightened, particularly if they are injured or sick."

"If you’re able to safely confine the animal, then it may be quickest to take the animal directly to a vet or local wildlife rehabilitator."

from james cooper Dobson and the good morning news team

Why you might have spotted a gorilla walking around Bristol today


People walking around Bristol today might have been surprised to see a rather unusual figure at some of its most popular sites.

'Peter the Gorilla' was led on a tour around the city by zookeepers on Friday (1 July) to raise awareness of Bristol Zoo’s move to the Wild Place Project site.

The primate is played by professional animal actor Peter Elliott who entertained dozens of children en route.

Peter said: "It's great really getting into the skin of another animal - breathing like it, feeling like it, moving with the weight of it.


"And also it is good fun having frightened all those kids and just causing chaos wherever you go.

"We do want to get the public really involved with this new location. It's going to be a fantastic new location for the gorillas.

"It's Peter the Gorilla's big day out in Bristol!"

Peter switched between behaving like a gorilla to then morphing into having more human characteristics to interact with the public in a humorous way

Nearby children said: "As soon as it got out the van I was like 'oh wow, it's an actual gorilla'."

Another said: "It's such a good costume. I mean, I loved it. I remember hearing a teacher saying they smell fear and all the kids going crazy."

A third said: "Oh my God I don't know what to do? Should I call the police? Should we call the zoo."


Peter's work has taken him around the world working on blockbuster films such as Congo and Gorillas in the Mist.

Bristol Zoological Society’s 'Big Summer Send-Off' will begin on July 21 and marks the final opening weeks of the zoo.

Bristol Zoo Gardens’ final public open day will be on September 3, preceded by a series of events to celebrate the site's closure.


from James Cooper-Dobson and the Good morning news team

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Zoo animals affected by Covid lockdowns just like humans, according to new study


Primates spent more time resting and alone, performed more sexual and dominance behaviours and ate less when zoos and safari parks were closed during the first Covid lockdown, research has suggested.

A new study looked at how the behaviour of bonobos, chimpanzees, western lowland gorillas and olive baboons changed as people started to return to zoos.

As visitors returned, bonobos and gorillas spent less time alone and gorillas spent less time resting, the researchers found.

Chimpanzees ate more and engaged more with their enclosures when the zoo was open.

The researchers also found that olive baboons performed less sexual and dominance behaviour when visitors returned.

Further, they approached visitor cars more frequently than they had the ranger’s vehicle when the park was closed.

Dr Samantha Ward, a zoo animal welfare scientist in Nottingham Trent University’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, said: "Primates are some of the most cognitively advanced species in zoos and their interactions with visitors are complex.

"A limitation to understanding how visitors can affect behaviour of animals in zoos and parks is that they rarely close to the public for prolonged periods, so this provided us with a unique opportunity."

The study also reports that their increased sexual behaviour during closure may have been because they did not have the stimulation of the presence of moving vehicles.

Dr Ellen Williams, a zoo animal welfare researcher at Harper Adams University, said: "Our study showed the varied ways in which visitors can influence the behaviour of primates in captivity.

"Behavioural changes and changes in enclosure use in the presence of visitors highlights the adaptability of zoo species to their environments.

"Provision of environments which enable animals to actively adapt in this manner is really important for their welfare."

Behavioural data for the study, published in the journal 'Animals', was collected between April 2020 and September 2020 and November 2020 to January 2021.

The study spanned multiple open and closure periods during the coronavirus pandemic.

Bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas were observed at Twycross Zoo, Leicestershire, while baboons were monitored by keeping staff at Knowsley Safari, Merseyside.



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